Cigarette box



Nov. 27, 1962 R. RICE ETAL 3,065,849

CIGARETTEBOX Filed June 14, 1957 /Z INVENTORS,

.94 @0558 7 e CE, M460 c/. 8/636,

JOHN LLOYD THOMPSON 0y United Stats atent 3,065,849 CIGARETTE 30X Robert Rice, 1509 Highland Ave, Camden, S.C.; Mason J. Sisk, Camden, S.C. (27 Murphy Ave., Marisonville, Ky. and John Lloyd Thompson, Camden, S.C.

Filed June 14, 1957, Ser. No. 665,677 2 Claims. ((31. 20648) The present invention relates to a cigarette box.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette box of the type having an attached top closure hingedly secured thereto for ready flipping by a finger of the user between open and closed positions, and one which carries a match packet in such a position as to have the tips of the matches fully covered by the top closure when the top closure is in the closed position.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette box which carries a match packet in such a position as to have the tips of the matches normally protected during the striking of a match by a user.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette box of neat and attractive appearance, one which is sturdy in construction and economical to manufacture and assemble, one having commercial appeal, and one highly effective in action.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of the cigarette box according to the present invention in closed condition,

FIGURE 2 is an isometric view of the cigarette box in an open position,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 4 is an isometric view of the insert used with the cigarette box of the present invention.

Referring in greater detail to the drawing, in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, the cigarette box according to the present invention comprises a rear wall 10, a front wall 12, and side walls 14 and 16 extending between the adjacent ends of the front wall 12 and the rear wall connecting such front and rear walls together. The front wall 12 is of a height less than that of the rear wall 10 and each of the side walls 14 and 16 have a portion cut away, as at 18, in FIGURES l and 2, along a line sloping upwardly from the top of the front Wall 12 to a point spaced below and adjacent the top of the rear wall 10.

The rear wall 10 is provided with a transverse fold line 20 (FIGURE 2) below and adjacent the terminal points of the sloping lines 22 and 24 in the side walls 14 and 16 respectively.

An insert 26 having an upstanding panel 28 and foldable flaps 30 and 32 along each side edge of the panel 28 is positioned within the box formed by the rear, front,

and side walls, 10, 12, and 14 and 16, respectively, so

that the side flaps 30 and 32 extend along the side walls 14 and 16, respectively, with the panel 28 abutting and facing the box front wall 12.

When the insert 26 is within the box, the portions adjacent the upper ends of the panel 18 and the side flaps 30 and 32 of the insert 26 project above the box front wall 12 and the side walls 14 and 16, respectively.

A portion 34 of the front wall 12 is bent inwardly (see FIGURE 3) to reinforce the front Wall 12 which is in effect cut inwardly from the upper end and along the side edges, as at 36 to a point adjacent the lower end, as at 38, to provide a corresponding exposed portion on said panel 28 of the insert 26.

A bottom 40 extends between the lower ends of the rear 3,065,849 Patented Nov. 27, 1952 the box and the rear wall 44 of the closure cap 42 is integrally connected along the transverse fold line 20 of the box rear wall 10 for movement of the closure cap 42 from the closed position shown in FIGURE 1 to an open position as shown in FIGURE 2.

The cigarette box as above described is of conventional construction and the present invention provides the improvement consisting in an upstanding match packet 46 embodying a plurality of match sticks 48 each having a match tip 50 on its upper end The packet 46 is positioned on the outer face of the insert panel 28 and is so positioned that the match tips 50 are wholly covered by the lower end portion of the closure cap front wall adjacent the lower end of the latter, as shown in FIG- URES 1 and 3, when the closure cap 42 is in the closed position.

A strip of striking material 52 is adhesively secured to the portion of the insert panel 28 adjacent the lower end of the latter and overlies the lower ends of the match sticks 48.

The closure cap 42 has side panels 54 and 56 conformably shaped to fit the cutaway portion 18 of the side walls 14 and 16 and, with the upper end portions of the flaps 3d and 32, serve to close the cigarette box of the present invention to protect the cigarette (not shown) stored therein. The closure cap 42 has a top wall 58 extending between the upper ends of the rear wall 44 and the front wall 43 and also extending between the upper ends of the side panels 54 and 56 of the closure cap 42.

In use, the cigarette box according to the present invention provides a unitary structure holding both cigarettes and matches and lends itself to ready and easy accessibility of a match stick 48 when the user desires to light a cigarette. The user will normally move the closure cap 42 to open position, remove a cigarette therefrom, tear one of the match sticks 48 from the match packet 46, close the closure cap 42, and with the fingers of one hand embracing the rearwall 10 of the cigarette box and bridging the front wall 43 of the closure cap 42 and pressing on the packet 46, strike the free match stick 48 on the strike material 52. This protects the remaining tips 50 of the match sticks 48 from being ignited by the flaring match tip 5%] in the desired manner.

What is claimed is:

1. In a cigarette box including an upstanding rear wall, an upstanding front wall, and a side wall extending between each of the adjacent ends of said front and rear walls, said front wall being of a height less than said rear wall with each of the side walls having a portion cut away along a line sloping upwardly from the top of said front Wall to a point spaced below and adjacent the top of said rear wall, there being a transverse fold line in said rear wall below and adjacent the terminal points of said sloping lines, an insert having an upstanding panel and a foldabl-e flap along each side edge positioned within said box so that the side flaps extend along the side walls of the box with the panel abutting and facing said box front wall, the portions adjacent the upper ends of the panel and side flaps of said insert projecting above the box front wall and side walls respectively, said box front wall being cut inwardly from the upper end and along the side edges to a point adjacent the lower end, the wall portions defined by the cuts being folded down to provide a corresponding exposed portion on said panel, and a closure cap having side panels front and rear walls normally closing the upper ends of said box rear, front and side walls and having the rear wall lower end integrally connected along said rear wall transverse fold line for movement from the closed position to an open position, the improvement consisting in an upstanding match packet embodying a plurality of match sticks each having a match tip at the upper end positioned on the outer face of said panel, the matches of said match packet being disposed so that the match tips thereof are wholly covered by the portion of the closure cap front wall adjacent the lower end of the latter when said closure cap is in the closed position.

2. A cigarette container comprising a box including front, back and side walls, a cover including front, back and side walls, the back walls of said box and cover being integral and having a transverse fold line enabling said cover to be swung between open and closed positions, the front wall of said box terminating short of the front wall of the cover when said container is closed, an insert joined 4 to said box and including a front wall, and a unit attached to the front wall of said insert and including a supply of matches and an abrasive coating exposed between said box and cover front Walls when said container is closed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 182,765 Maddock Oct. 3, 1876 10 1,495,872 Olsen May 27, 1924 2,163,828 Chalmers June 27, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 208,627 Great Britain Dec. 27, 1923 287,427 Great Britain Mar. 22, 1928 585,020 Great Britain -1 Jan. 28, 1947 

